WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following commentary on Dec. 2, 2024: * * * Fifty Years of Access to Lending Opportunity: Where Are We Now? Courtesy of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) has just entered its 51st year, providing an occasion to look back -- and to look ahead. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless advocate for a more just and equal society, and ensuring access to housing opportunity was a criti  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following commentary on Dec. 2, 2024: * * * On World AIDS Day, Justice Department Remains Resolute in Protecting the Civil Rights of People Living With HIV and AIDS Courtesy of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke On World AIDS Day 2024 (observed Dec. 1), the Justice Department remains unwavering in its commitment to defending the civil rights of people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release: The Federal Trade Commission today ordered building services contractor Guardian Service Industries, Inc. (Guardian) to stop enforcing a no-hire agreement that prohibits building owners and managers from hiring Guardian's employees. In a complaint filed against Guardian, the FTC alleges that Guardian--which operates in New York and New Jersey--includes no-hire agreements in its customer service agreements wit  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Defendant Admits He Acted as Courier Visiting Homes of Defrauded Elderly Victims * * * A New York man pleaded guilty yesterday to serving as a courier for a Dominican Republic-based "grandparent scam" that targeted elderly Americans. Victor Anthony Valdez, 40, of the Bronx, New York, was charged in District of New Jersey with one count of wire fraud conspiracy for his role in the scam. According to  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: BALTIMORE The Thomas B. Finan Center of the Maryland Department of Health, a multipurpose psychiatric facility located in Cumberland, Maryland, will pay $270,000 to settle an equal pay lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. According to the EEOC's lawsuit, for several years up to the present, Finan paid a less tenured and le  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Dec. 5 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on Dec. 4, 2024: Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability today announced that a New Jersey Department of Corrections police officer has pleaded guilty after assaulting a resident at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center (ADTC), Special Treatment Unit (STU), in the Avenel section of Woodbridge. During a plea hearing on December 3,   more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Dec. 5 -- Gov. Phil Murphy, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on Dec. 4, 2024: As part of the Murphy Administration's goal to provide New Jersey families with access to universal high-quality preschool, Governor Phil Murphy and Acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer today announced the award of over $42 million in federal grant funding to build and expand preschool facilities in 22 New Jersey school districts. "High-quality preschool can positively impact  more

ALBANY, New York, Dec. 5 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release on Dec. 4, 2024: * * * Guardian Will End No-Poach Agreements That Suppress Wages and Limit Competition * * * NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin today announced a settlement with Guardian Service Industries, Inc. (Guardian) for using illegal no-poach agreements that can lower employees' wages, reduce competition, and restrict emp  more